Smug
by DarkBloodbender937
Summary: Misty and Ash always did like to tease each other. But how the heck did this end up a game of hide-and-seek! Story's definitely better than summary; no real way to describe this one! Pure AAML fluff.


**Yeah! My very first Pokeshipping fic!**

**God, I LOVE Ash/Misty to death. I haven't seen the series in ages (am currently re-watching and have gotten to episode 169), but I remember Misty leaving. From what I've heard, the show, except for **_**Chronicles**_** sucks now.**

***shrugs* Anyway, I started thinking about Ash's hat and how I wanted him and Misty to get together…well, you'll see. ;)**

**Set sometime after Misty becomes gym leader, obviously. Not to clear when.**

**The two are just sitting outside underneath a tree …**

**Enjoy!**

"Ash, if you had to pick between your hat or me, which would you choose?" It was with this strange, out-of-the-blue question that Misty broke into the conversation with.

"Huh?" Fifteen-year-old Ash Ketchum looked over at his long-time best friend and (he still blushed at the thought) new girlfriend of two weeks in bewilderment. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, say you got the chance to travel the world and become a Pokémon Master—but you could only bring one thing from your old life. Which would you bring?" She grinned, knowing that his reply would either be awkward or stupid—probably some combination of the two. She was guaranteed a laugh.

"Isn't that sort of a random question?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, we were just talking about visiting Professor Oak and Tracey tomorrow and then you bring that up?"

"That isn't the point, and you're stalling, Ash Ketchum!" she huffed, more entertained than annoyed. It was fun watching Ash squirm.

Ash frowned. "Would I get to keep Pikachu and my other Pokémon?"

"Yes."

"And why are you asking this again?"

"Just answer the question. Your hat"— she tapped the red brim, causing the hat to fall down over his eyes slightly—"or me." The last two words were spoken softly and her voice had gone strange: sort of silky. For that matter, her face looked strange too, but pretty: her eyelids were lowered slightly and the right corner of her mouth had turned up, not in a smirk, but in a dreamy sort of smile. She scooted closer to him, so that her shoulder bumped his.

Ash gulped. Was she _flirting_ with him?

_Of course she is, idiot!_ he thought to himself. _She's your _girlfriend_ after all. Jeez, I wonder what her reaction would be if I flirted back…_ That caused him to blush, but happily this time. _In my own special way, of course._ Pulling his hat off completely and running a hand through his tussled black hair, he reciprocated her smile, but with just a hint more confidence than he felt. He felt like laughing when Misty's face suddenly turned pink and she blinked. He leaned in close, just a few inches from her cheek and whispered in her ear, "I'd choose you, Mist." He turned his head to the right just slightly as he pulled back, so that his lips brushed her cheek.

Misty's face turned a brighter shade of red and her head spun. _Ash just…kissed…me._ Okay, so it wasn't an _actual_ kiss, she reminded herself. (According to her sisters, a kiss wasn't a true kiss unless it was on the lips. At least, a first kiss wasn't.) But she disregarded that "fact" for the moment. _I didn't know he was so confident…_ As she regarded his smirking face and nut-brown eyes, she decided she liked it. Remembering the conversation at hand, she said, keeping her voice calm, "So you'd choose me?"

"Every time."

_Okay, that smile is _really_ cute._ She was enjoying this… "Tell the truth."

"I am!" he exclaimed, twisting the hat in his hands. Okay, maybe he'd choose the hat, but _only_ if he got to keep Misty, too. He didn't think it was wise to tell her that though. _Aw, c'mon Ash. You'd choose her and you know it, you stupid sap._ He couldn't help smiling.

She giggled. _There's that dopey grin of his._ She twirled a finger in a circle on the grass. "So…" she continued, as if there hadn't been a pause, "if someone, say, took your hat and, I dunno, lost it, you wouldn't mind—as long as you had me." She threw him a sly look.

Ash sweatdropped. _Crap._ "I'd pick you, Mist," he said again, not answering the question directly.

Another strange, never-before-seen look twitched at her lips. She was…smirking. Only this time, it wasn't patronizing or smug, like it would have been two weeks ago; it was playful. "That's too bad. Because it looks like both of us are leaving."

"Huh? Wha'd'ya mean Mis—" He didn't get to finish because the next second he found his hat had disappeared from his hands and Misty was running down the path, taking it with her. "Hey, wait a minute!" He scrambled up.

"Pikachupi?" (What's going on?) Pikachu asked from the branches of the tree above. He already knew and was caught between laughing or being annoyed at the couple's interruption of the quiet afternoon, but didn't think it would be smart to say so. He didn't need to worry since he didn't get an answer anyway, as Ash was now following Misty to try and get his hat back. Pikachu shook his head and scampered after them both.

Misty laughed. Ash may have grown in the past few years, but she was still faster than he was. And she had a head start. She ducked through the front doors of the Cerulean City gym with a quick smile. Even if he came in here, he'd never find her.

Ash burst through the doors less than thirty seconds later and paused when he saw Daisy standing at the desk, apparently going through some sort of paperwork. "Where's Misty?" he panted.

Daisy looked up, eyebrows raised. "By the pool, I think. She just ran in a few seconds ago—and she was, like, giggling." Daisy giggled too. "Something going oonn?" she asked with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"Pikachu will explain," he said offhandedly, rushing through the second set of double doors to go after Misty.

Daisy looked at the electric Pokémon. "So? Like, what's the story?" Pikachu jumped up on the desk and began to tell her.

Ash ran into the gigantic room that held the swimming pool and looked around. "Misty! C'mon!" No answer. He scanned the room again, walking around the edge of the pool. "Misty! You _know_ how important my hat is! Give it back!" Still nothing. He let out an annoyed breath. Then he heard a giggle, off to the left, behind some equipment. Ash smirked. "Nice try, Mist. Next time you you're trying to hide, remember to keep your mouth shut," he advised, sneaking up on the training equipment. A rustle. His grin got wider as he began to sneak up on her from the side—she wouldn't expect that, at least. Only a few more feet…

"Gotcha!" He jumped behind the equipment, grinning. But was greeted with an empty space. He paused, confused. _Dang it, where'd she go?_ He turned his head, thinking—and caught a glimpse of red hair and a yellow and navy outfit dashing through the door at the far end. _No way, Mist. Not that easily._ He raced after her.

Just as he got to the hallway, he saw one of the doors—the one in the middle—close. He dashed in after, closing the door behind him with a resounding snap. He didn't bother turning on the lights; he wouldn't have been able to find them, anyway. "I've got you now, Misty." One problem though: he couldn't see her.

He thought for a moment and Misty watched from her hiding spot, grinning in amusement. Boy, was Ash fun to vex. Her smile faltered when she saw another smirk cross his face. _What's he up to?_ She found out soon enough.

Ash knew he had her. He pulled out a Pokéball and tossed it. The Pokémon was enveloped in white light before being revealed as a—

Misty almost fell from her hiding place on the shelves. _When did Ash catch a Nincada? And more importantly, why is he using it to find _me_?_

"Nincada, fly around and find Misty," he ordered the little bug Pokémon. It buzzed and rose off the ground.

Misty's mouth went dry. Her pride could take a back seat. She should come down before that…thing…found her. She slid her left leg down from her precarious hiding spot. Her right hand gripped the shelf for balance. She could just swing and drop…

Something buzzed near her ear and she turned involuntarily. "Waaaugh!" she screamed, coming face-to-face with the dreaded Nincada. Her grip on the shelf was lost and she fell to the floor with a loud _whoomp_! "Oww," she mumbled, rubbing her knees where they had taken the most impact. She looked up, seeing Ash's sneakers come into view.

"You okay?" he asked, offering her a hand.

"Fine," she replied, smiling. She took his hand. "But maybe you should sit down."

"Huh? Waa!" he cried, falling down beside her, almost on his face. Misty giggled as he picked himself up. "Fu-nny," he said sarcastically, but he was smiling.

"I thought so. It was also funny when you were wandering around trying to figure out where I was."

"Boy, you just love to tease me, don't you?" He offered his hand again.

She took it and this time allowed him to pull her up. "Yup! Just like back at the hill."

"And just like right now." His voice was quiet.

"What do you mean?" she asked, but immediately after realized the answer. Their fingers were still intertwined from when he'd pulled her up. Misty hadn't noticed just how close their bodies were until this moment. She looked up at Ash. He was watching her with an almost anxious expression. She swallowed, knowing what she wanted to happen never would without an invitation. "Ash?" She stroked her thumb over his hand and he smiled a little. In a voice just barely above a whisper and filled with longing, she asked, "Kiss me?"

He didn't speak. Instead, he brought his free hand up to her face, fingers gently brushing her jaw-line and causing her to blush light pink. He moved closer and closed his eyes, heart pounding so loud that he could swear she heard it too. He paused, just before their lips met and opened his eyes, smiling gently when he realized Misty had done the same. He looked into her turquoise gaze and knew exactly what she was feeling. He closed his eyes again and leaned forward.

When his lips at last touched hers, Misty felt like Pikachu had shocked her with a Thunderbolt. But it was pleasant, made her giddy and lightheaded with electric joy. Maybe it was his fingers, still resting on her cheek. Maybe it was his chuckle when she leaned in closer. Or maybe it was the protected, "this is right" feeling she got as her arms slid around his neck, his around her waist, neither wanting to let go. She didn't care what it was—she loved it. Nothing could ruin this absolutely perfect moment. Nothing.

Nothing except…

"Like, oh my Mew, Lily! Get over here and bring the camera!"

They broke apart, arms still around each other. Misty's face burned scarlet in both embarrassment and anger when Lily snapped a picture. "You burn that this instant!"

"Aw!" cooed Violet laughing. "Lookit, little sister's annoyed that we ruined her first kiss!"

"_Some_ kiss," Ash whispered in her ear. She cast a glare at him that read, "not helping!" He chuckled again. She smiled; she couldn't help it. She nuzzled his cheek, causing him to blush as well.

"Didn't I say they were meant for each other?" Lily stage-whispered to Violet.

"So cute!" the blue-haired girl squealed.

"Way to go, little sis!" Even Daisy had joined the fun, though her comment was more congratulatory than anything else.

"Can I like, be your maid of honor?" asked Violet, smirking.

"No way! I get that title!" Lily argued. They got into a mock fight—the whole purpose of which was to embarrass their youngest sister.

It was at that moment that Misty decided the word "smug" was only good when it applied to her boyfriend.

**Ashy never gets his hat back XD**

**I'm pretty sure Ash never had a Nincada, but just go with it, kay? :)**

**Game Freak and Nintendo own Pokémon. I wish I owned Ash, but that's Misty's job, isn't it? All copyrights go to their respective owners, since I have no idea who owns the characters…**

**R & R, AAML forever!**

**Peace,**

**~ DBB937**


End file.
